As the health care debate unfolds on Capital Hill, I try to grasp, as I assume many Americans do, the details behind the arguments that are being made. Each day I read articles about Obama’s push for health care reform but a majority of what I read fails to cover any substance. I find half-assed articles with big words like socialism and freedom, words used as weapons to instill fear and hide the facts. I want numbers, studies, models, graphs, and in depth coverage. For legislation this big, I want to make sure I know what I’m paying for. Yet none of the major networks, let alone Congress, are giving us anything but political bull. And when Americans watch their chosen representatives play politics, they understandably become discouraged and withdrawn from the discussion, giving the status quo that much more momentum.
I refuse to become tangled. I refuse to withdraw. I think that with narrow and directed discussions about health care reform, our nation can mold the best health care system in the world. As the debate continues into the fall, I will try my best to cut through the fear and tackle the arguments that give cause to our legislation. As such, I will begin with the premise that movement is better than non-movement when there is a train coming strait at you.
Isn’t it undeniably true that our current system must change? The status quo is not working and we must take a step in another direction. Whether we step in fire or water, we will soon learn and readjust. The rising costs of healthcare are simply unsustainable. The train is coming. It is better to do something than nothing. Can everyone agree on that?
To call the American heath care system socialist is absurd after looking at the facts. The preponderance by the right to label any change in America's strict capitalist stance on healthcare as "socialist" is simply evoking a scare, in hopes that the word brings about thoughts of Marxism or, perhaps more often, the problem with our struggling neighbor to the north- the Canadian policy.
ReplyDeleteOne thinks of waiting for a kidney that needs replacement, or waiting for chemotherapy and cancer care for months on end if not insured.
The problem with the American healthcare system is that insurance companies, some bordering on monopolies, are taking in upwards of 30% of overall cost of treatment. The only way to change the American healthcare system is to change the system of payout by reducing the rates that these insurance conglomerates are pulling in from the average patient. BUST THE TRUSTS! Where's Teddy when you need him?
We certainly need a change. The costs of seeing a doctor or having anything done are exorbitant and unaffordable for the majority of people in the country. Since insurance companies have huge profit margins they can afford to lower premiums.
ReplyDeleteI think a public option is a good think. People should be able to go into the doctor for check-ups and diagnoses without having to give up half thier life savings (many people who are uninsured are young or do not have a pile of money sitting around). It would be great to know that if I am ever between jobs or quit work to pursue my own business that I have this public plan as a safety net.
Another way to lower the cost of care, and premiums, is if doctors stop overtreating. While routine screenings for diseases and cancers are standard based on the patient's age, sex, personal history, and genetic predisposition, asymptomatic patients that are at a very low risk for a given disease shouldn't be unnecessarily tested. Last year when I went to get a new contact prescription from my Opthamologist (I had health insurance then, unlike now) I expected a bill of no less than $150-$200 (after all I'm in Manhattan). To my and my parent's surprise, we received a copy of the bill being sent to our insurance company for $900. I was certainly incredulous but then i remembered that I was in the doctor's office for at least 60 minutes being tested for tumors and glaucoma among other diseases. I hadn't complained about double vision, headaches, nothing; I just needed a new prescription.
ReplyDeleteDoctors overtreat in order to placate their patients, because of the constant threat of law suits, and for money. A high quantity of health care however doesn't mean high quality. Doctors in general need to be re-incentivized. The goal is not always to perform the most tests with the latest and greatest technologies. Of course they are great, but only when needed.
Nevertheless, It's easy for me now to view the high cost of health care somewhat objectively, but as an incipient medical student, I can't say this issue will seem less grey when I'm one day pressured to produce results, reassure my patients, and protect them from insidious diseases.
Yes, I can agree to that...universal health care is a no-brainer. In addition to needing the facts, I think what frustrates me the most is that the Republicans are still turning this reform into a Democrat vs Republican issue rather than viewing it as a "what's good for the people" issue. They don't get "reaching across the aisle", they don't get Obama concepts...they do worry about their pocketbooks and the status quo. The American people elected Obama and one of his priorities was affordable universal health care, so why are the supposed representatives of the American people erecting so many roadblocks. It's in the details they say, so, yes Cod, we need some details.
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